Ruth Wilson: ‘The Little Stranger confused and intrigued me’

Ruth Wilson loves working on location as she can soak in the surroundings to help with her character.

Ruth Wilson didn’t fully understand The Little Stranger when she signed on to star in it.

Ruth plays Caroline Ayres in Lenny Abrahamson’s big screen retelling of Sarah Waters’ novel, a woman who, along with her mother and brother, is being haunted in the crumbling family mansion.

Talking to Collider about accepting the role, English actress Ruth admits she was a little confused when she first read the script, but said yes anyway.

“Yeah, just the usual, where a script comes your way, you read it, and you get enticed by it,” she explained. “It got under my skin, and I couldn’t work it out. It unnerved me. It’s always a great sign, if you have a reaction to a script. That’s usually an indication that you’re interested. And so, I went back and read it again, and didn’t quite understand it, but decided to do the job. I felt the same way as you did. I read the book as well and that had exactly the same effect, too. There’s something unnerving and deeply dark about it.”

Ruth adds that director Lenny, who worked on the movie for years before it went into production, also discovered more about the story as he filmed.

Domhnall Gleeson, Charlotte Rampling and Will Poulter co-star in the Gothic horror, and Ruth said it was a big help for her filming on location in a crumbling manor house.

“It was amazing because you have everything there, and it gives you so much that you don’t have to act,” she smiled. “The history of it is already there. It was built in 17-something, so it’s full of history and energy already, so you just have to stand in it. You feel slightly oppressed and awkward, but there’s also a bit of grandeur.”

“I love working locations because it gives you so much for free,” she added.